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The Beatles’ ‘Help!’ Released Digitally and on Blu-ray

The Beatles’ second feature film, 1965’s Help!, makes its worldwide Blu-ray and digital release debut today – the digital release of the movie is available exclusively on the iTunes store.Directed by Richard Lester, who also directed the band’s debut feature film, 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night, Help! follows The Beatles as they become embroiled in a plot involving a sacrificial ring, a religious cult, a mad scientist and the London police. Ringo and his bandmates John, Paul and George are pursued from London to the Austrian Alps and to the Bahamas.

In addition to starring The Beatles, Help! boasts a witty script, a great cast of British character actors, and classic Beatles songs “Help!,” “You’re Going To Lose That Girl,” “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” “Ticket To Ride,” “I Need You,” “The Night Before,” and “Another Girl.”

The Guardian’s appreciation of the film’s director, Richard Lester, saying “Lester matches The Beatles’star power with smart, colourful visuals and casual surrealism,”; The Los Angeles Times restoration rave: “With dynamic compression that was standard in the 1960s lifted for the digital age, the full range of the group’s musicality comes through – it’s like several coats of dust have been cleaned off an old master’s painting”, and four-star reviews from Rolling Stone and MOJO with the latter saying, “They really don’t make them like this anymore.”

Help!’ Extra Features:

“The Beatles in Help! – a 30-minute documentary about the making of the film with Richard Lester, the cast and crew, including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of The Beatles on-set.

“A Missing Scene – a film outtake, featuring Wendy Richard

“The Restoration of Help! – an in-depth look at the restoration process

“Memories of Help!” – the cast and crew reminisce

1965 Theatrical Trailers – two original U.S. trailers and one original Spanish trailer